LIBERTAD, Antique — Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday called on local government units to invest in and prioritize the implementation of better education programs that will benefit the Filipino children.

Duterte was guest speaker during the 23rd Banigan Festival Opening Program at the Libertad Municipal Plaza here.

“Importante po ang edukasyon at importante na ang ating mga anak ay makapag-aral at makakuha ng maayos na edukasyon,” Duterte said.

“May I enjoin our parents who are here today to keep your children and youth in school or learning technical skills no matter the challenges,” she added.

Duterte, who is also the Secretary of Education, said it is important for the nation to agree that education is the number one ticket to ensuring that our children will have a secure and better future.

In her 26-minutes speech, the Vice President said children must be swayed away from the threats brought about by illegal drugs and recruitments of the New People’s Army (NPA).

“Importante din na matiyak natin na ang ating mga anak ay malayo po sa landas ng ilegal na droga at sa landas ng insurhensiya. Ang illegal drugs at ang New People’s Army ay parehong sisira sa kinabukasan ng ating mga anak,” Duterte said.

“Huwag po natin yang hayaan. May responsibilidad tayo bilang mga magulang na protektahan ang ating mga anak mula sa salot na illegal drugs at NPA. Magiging mas maunlad ang ating bayan kung masusugpo natin ang problema sa ilegal na droga at insurhensiya ng NPA,” she added.

Duterte also shared how Peace 911, a project in Davao City where she served as mayor, transformed the far-flung community of the city’s Paquibato District which used to be a “stronghold” of the NPA.

Before Duterte ended her term as mayor in 2022 to run for the vice presidency, Paquibato District in Davao City was declared as “insurgency-free.”

Meanwhile, the Vice President also lauded the municipality of Libertad and its weavers for the amount of patience, persistence, discipline and hard work they put in to create mats and other high quality banig products that “bring the spotlight to Filipino craftsmanship and creativity.”

“May we be forever proud of our cultural heritage and work harder for the preservation of the art of mat weaving and the protection of the source of our livelihood,” Duterte said.

“I hope to see younger generation of mat weavers continuing this living tradition. May you be tireless in promoting our indigenous products here and abroad, and I wish your industry a continued success,” she added. OVP MEDIA